What is the best way to get rid of moles?

I'm new to this forum and I'm sure this has been asked before.What is the best way to get rid of moles?Will juicy fruit gum really kill them?

"Imagination is more valuable than knowledge".Einstein

Brenda Groth

pollinator

Posts: 4434

Location: North Central Michigan

10

posted 4 years ago

moles are generally a sign of grub infestation in your soil, the moles eat the grubs, they also aerate the soil and allow rain channels and worm channels..so unless they are really causing serious damage I wouldn't get rid of them..but if you do need to there are safe methods such as flooding their holes, trapping, etc.

Moles can be dangerous where they make trippinig hazards for horses and such but in most cases they are safe..also a cat works wonders

Brenda

Bloom where you are planted.
http://restfultrailsfoodforestgarden.blogspot.com/

john muckleroy jr

Posts: 40

Location: nacogdoches,texas

posted 4 years ago

I raise earthworms and thru the years a lot have escaped and I think they are eating the earthworms.They kill plants getting to the worms.

"Imagination is more valuable than knowledge".Einstein

Brenda Groth

pollinator

Posts: 4434

Location: North Central Michigan

10

posted 4 years ago

could be..maybe some screening around the plants buried?? I know people do that for their prized tulips to keep the mice from eating them..our cats LOVE moles and voles and mice and chipmunks and squirrels and rabbits and our big guy took down a fawn one time but didn't hurt it, he was just playin.

Brenda

Bloom where you are planted.
http://restfultrailsfoodforestgarden.blogspot.com/

Chaya Foedus

Posts: 20

posted 4 years ago

The first step is to determine if it's a mole or a gopher, because different tactics work best. Moles do come to the surface, leaving evidence behind. Carla Emery (The Encyclopedia of Country Living) does suggest the gum thing for gophers . . . my dad tried that several times with moles and it never worked for him.

Cats can help. Brenda, my parents' cats would only catch and play too... until the farmer next door explained they were over-feeding the cats if they wanted the cats to "work".

Carla Emery suggests the "mole plant" (Euphorbia lathyris) and something called squill to repel them. I guess these are exotic looking biennials with thick, milky-looking sap that will self-seed the second year, and the effects last for quite some time. I would research this more before running out to buy the plant--but it might give you a starting place. There is ALWAYS a natural solution out there. Hey, even Superman had Cryptonite.

I tried the mole plant.I had a bunch of them and they were really pretty but a mole dug a tunnel under one of them making it lean.What was really funny I worked all day digging and making a big mound and planted about 12 comfrey plants on it.A mole came and dug a tunnel to each one and killed them.He went from one plant to the next and got them all.Earthworms love comfrey leaves and will hang out under and around them.What was funny he had a hole and he would stick his head out(caddyshack)and look at me.I had a pellet gun but he was too fast.I tried juicy fruit gum and noticed my dog chewing something ( it was the juicy fruit).I have a different dog,I may try that again.I've heard both that it will work and that it won't work.They are difinitely moles,I have no gophers.I have 5 cats but they aren't very ambitious.

"Imagination is more valuable than knowledge".Einstein

Chaya Foedus

Posts: 20

posted 4 years ago

john muckleroy jr wrote:What was funny he had a hole and he would stick his head out(caddyshack)and look at me.I had a pellet gun but he was too fast.I tried juicy fruit gum and noticed my dog chewing something ( it was the juicy fruit).

I haven't yet obsessed about the moles; perhaps I've been fortunate that mine haven't done that much damage--but I had to laugh--my father used to try to shoot at them with a bb gun, too! I can just picture it. What is it about such a tiny creature that gets the best of us? Thanks for sharing your experience about the mole plant! I haven't tried it.

I had an Alaskan Malamute for a short period of time. He was bringing me 1 or 2 moles every week. I guess they are like wolves, with that sonar thing going on. I once saw him sit in the middle of the yard and stare at the ground for a very long time. Then the ground moved, and out popped a mole. Didn't even have to dig for it! When he brought up a 7" long "Teddy Bear" one day, I about jumped out of my shoes when I realized I was actually holding a huge giant dead mole...

I read that moles are somewhat territorial, so there isn't supposed to be more than a couple per acre, so theoretically, once you get rid of them, you should be ok for a while?

Jordan Lowery

pollinator

Posts: 1528

Location: zone 7

12

posted 4 years ago

The problem is the solution remember, i like my moles and even gophers. An essential part to a polyculture system. Moles are beneficial in loosening topsoil and aerating mulches. Gophers transport soil and aid in soil aeration and getting rainwater deeper into the soil.

The list of benefits is huge. Monoculture even growing individual crops in beds is the problem.

The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings. - Masanobu Fukuoka

William Roan

Posts: 40

posted 4 years ago

Hi john Muckleroy Jr
I’ve been trying to find someone with a mole or gopher problem. I would like to see if you would be interested in doing an anti-mole experiment?
Take a post hole digger and dig several holes 18-24 inches deep. Cut enough 2” or smaller branches, as long as your holes are deep. Then stuff as many sticks into the holes that will fit. Back fill with mulch and your dirt. Then plant in the middle of your vertical Hugelkulture and see if the wooden framework won’t keep the mole away from your roots.
Then report back to us, what happens. Good luck.
Biologybill

Morgan Morrigan

Posts: 1400

Location: Verde Valley, AZ.

posted 4 years ago

mints will work, spray some on cotton balls, drop into runs.
if you want to water it in, mix in a little soap.

best source i found was the old hornet spray. was 100% mint oil

Dont plant mints near a garden, keep well away on a fence line. They very pleased to have garden soil to explore and conquer.

They are good for the soil, but a pain in a garden.

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Gary Wolfer

Posts: 6

posted 4 years ago

Moles work at night and dusk and dawn. I used to get up early and watch the latest hole with a 12 gage. When the dirt started moving I got close to the pile of dirt and shot the middle if you don't hit them the concussion kills them. There are trappers here in Oregon for the grass seed fields who use mole traps and put a 5 gallon bucket over them to keep them dark inside. Either way works but you have to have more patience to use the shotgun method.

John Rains

Posts: 10

Location: Fort Payne, AL

posted 4 years ago

I worked with an organic farmer who would poke holes in mole runs to encourage snakes to snuff them out...I think mole runs also invite voles that will eat your plant roots...its best to just have a balanced system so all critters are kept in check....

Dave Miller

Posts: 409

Location: Zone 8b: SW Washington

15

posted 4 years ago

I get 3-5 moles every year, and I have just learned to tolerate them. They seem to be active for relatively short periods of time, once in the spring and once in the fall. In the lawn, I just shovel their dirt and use it to fill in low spots in the lawn, or just fling it over the lawn like a topdressing. Then I use the hose to wash the "footprint" of the hill back down into their hole (otherwise the lawn will die there because it is covered). So the end result is a bunch of 1.5" holes which fill in once the moles move on or hibernate - in other words, free lawn aeration, plus a thin layer of soil life sprinkled on the lawn surface.

The neighborhood cats will get a few of them, and if they wander over to the neighbors, they have to face his arsenal of traps.

As someone said, the moles are hunting earthworms and grubs, they don't care about your plants. They do like to dig where there are worms and the soil is soft - so if you have hard clay or gravel, they will be attracted to the holes you have dug for your plants which you filled with soft soil & compost. I have had a few small plants die because the mole dug a tunnel right under the taproot.

If the whole area is soft (e.g. your garden), they can tunnel by just pushing the dirt up (vs. pushing it through a tunnel to the surface). If they do this under your baby plants, the roots may dry out and the plants might die. But that will only happen if the plant is directly over the tunnel. I have had a mole go crazy in the garden, pushing up almost the whole thing. I did get fed up with that mole, and I just carefully stalked him with a pitchfork, and skewered him. Kind of gross, but it was like a real war with that guy.

When I find a dead one, I am always amazed at how soft and clean they are. How can something that lives in wet soil avoid getting any mud stuck to them? I have to think there is a biomimicry opportunity there.

Amy Leonard

Posts: 13

Location: Louts, CA (USDA zone 7)

posted 3 years ago

My issue is the dog digging trying to get to them which as far as I can tell he he digs and that is it. Any way to turn the little bugger off? Or get rid of the ground dwellers?

Amy

~all knowledge is worth having~

laura sharpe

Posts: 244

2

posted 3 years ago

Amy Leonard wrote:My issue is the dog digging trying to get to them which as far as I can tell he he digs and that is it. Any way to turn the little bugger off? Or get rid of the ground dwellers?

Amy

What?

All dogs are not good at mole hunting. Schnauzers are very good at digging moles up, even the little ones

I hear moles hate cat litter, if your cats do not hunt the moles maybe you can drop litter into their main runs, cheap enough to try.

My solution to whatever digs under my porches to live is male predator urine. Doesn't matter if it is dog or human as long as the human is a meat eater. This used to be my mom's place and she tried moth balls....the critter moved them several houses down...ha try that with pee.